1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a batting practice device for teaching and improving a person's batting and switch hitting techniques. Furthermore, this invention relates to a tennis ball hitting device for teaching and improving a tennis player's stance, stroke, fore-hand and back-hand techniques. More particularly, this invention relates to a ball tethered at the end of a rope wherein the opposite end of the rope is rotatably attached to a vertical member thereby allowing the tethered ball to rotate continuously about the vertical member. The vertical member can be supported by a stand such that when a user hits the tethered ball the stand maintains the apparatus in an upright position. Furthermore, the entire apparatus can be collapsible for easy storage and carrying.
2. History of the Prior Art
Being able to bat properly is the key to a high batting average in baseball or softball. Many hours of hitting are required for perfecting a swing. Batters must practice many hours to improve their batting stance, eye-hand coordination and to develop a repeatable consistent swing and switch hitting swing. Ordinarily, to practice batting a pitcher or pitching machine is required. Field players are also required to retrieve the balls after they are hit. Thus, a variety of people and a quantity of balls are required for a single person to practice batting.
Mechanical devices have been introduced in the past to aid in the training of batting. As mentioned earlier, there exists a ball pitching machine. Such a machine is expensive, requires a large quantity of balls and fielders to retrieve the balls. There also exist mechanical devices wherein a ball is attached to a horizontal or near-horizontal boom. The horizontal boom is either a semi-rigid or rigid member which rotates on or about a vertical axis. These horizontal boom devices have a distinct drawback that the boom, having mass, can distort the momentum of an attached ball prior to or after being hit. The momentum of the boom also can mislead the batter into hitting a ball incorrectly. The boom is used in the devices to enable the ball to be rotated by a mechanical mechanism at the center of the circumference of the ball's path.
Furthermore, previous batting devices require disassembly and are cumbersome to store and carry. Thus, there is a need for a batting practice device which closely simulates the momentum of a pitched ball and also allows a batter to comprehend when the ball is being hit correctly. Such a batting device should require no more than the batter to operate it, set it up, collapse it down, and carry and store it. Furthermore, the device should be inexpensive and not overly mechanical.
In a similar respect, practicing tennis, or other related sports, generally requires more than one person. That is, one person must serve the ball to another person so that stance, swing and fore-hand and back-hand abilities can be practiced. Mechanical tennis ball cannons have been introduced, but these machines are expensive and require a multitude of balls. Furthermore, extra time must be spent picking up balls after the tennis cannon is empty.
Based on the above, there is a need for a device allowing one person to practice batting or racket sport techniques that substantially simulates the feel of batting or racket hitting, without using a plurality of balls.